The Illinois General Assembly sent a few finance-related bills to the Governor that may be of interest to local governments.
TIF Reporting Requirements
HB 0571 would amend the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act to require municipalities to prepare an analysis for the Comptroller and relevant taxing districts indicating the (1) nature and term of the obligation; (2) the projected debt service including required reserves and debt coverage; and (3) the actual debt service. Starting in FY-2022, municipalities will also be required to submit to the Comptroller and taxing districts certain information about job growth, property tax increment, and any identified rate of return stemming from the project area in question.
Broadening Eligibility for Tourism Grants
SB 0317 would amend the Illinois Promotion Act to expand the eligibility for units of local government for certain tourism grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Rather than limiting the use of grants to municipalities or counties, this amendment allows for the provision of funds to all units of local government as defined in Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.
Publishing Vendor and Subcontractor Demographic Data
HB 0453 would require taxing districts with an aggregate property tax levy of more than $5 million to make a good faith effort to collect and publish data from all vendors and subcontractors doing business with the district. The data should reflect whether the vendor or subcontractor: (1) is minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned; and (2) holds any certifications for those categories or self-certifies and qualifies as a small business under federal standards.
Permit Fee Relief in the Wake of COVID-19
HB 2454 would amend the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code to allow county and municipality officials to pass resolutions to waive or reconsider the imposition of fees for certain licenses and fees, including business licenses, liquor licenses, construction permits, food service permits, and other activities that are normally regulated by the public bodies. The bill specifies that applicants must be able to demonstrate their need for these fees to be waived based on tangible hardships experienced during and because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Replacing Lead Service Lines
HB 3739 would create the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act to direct the Illinois EPA to create programs to assist community water suppliers in collecting water protection fees and the administration of programs and activities to replace and update service lines to eliminate the use of lead pipes for carrying drinking water. The Act would create the Lead Service Line Replacement Fund, which will be allocated as grant funding according to certain factors explicitly mentioned in the text, including the prevalence of low-income households, the presence of lead service lines, and the affordability of water services in a given community.
Post Authored by Erin Monforti & Julie Tappendorf, Ancel Glink